Shelf structure



March 24, 1964 c. w. SCHNEIDER SHELF STRUCTURE fin/gui ar- Filed Dec. 5, 1961 C(IIII) (fix/files CU-Jabrzaa'der,

United States Patent Ofi ice 3,125,970 Patented Mar. 24, 1964 3,125,970 SHELF STRUCTURE Charles W. Schneider, Kalamazoo, Mich, assignor to Brunswick Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 5, 1961, Ser. No. 157,128 4 Claims. (Cl. 108109) This invention relates to shelf structures and particularly to a shelf supporting clip for use in a channel forming part of an upright shelf supporting post. The clip is readily attachable and detachable relative to the channel member without the need of tools or other means, it is adjustable vertically when attached, it is releasably held in vertically adjusted positions when not loaded, and more firmly bound in position when loaded.

It is a general object of the invention to provide a new and improved shelf structure of the type described.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a new and improved shelf supporting clip.

A more specific object is to provide a shelf supporting clip including a body having an upper shelf supporting surface, a pair of legs extending laterally away from the shelf supporting surface and resiliently compressible toward each other, with free ends of the legs provided with means for releasably retaining the clip in position in a channel member.

Another object is to provide a shelf supporting clip of resilient metal bent generally into U-shape in plan view with an upper shelf supporting surface and with free ends of the legs of the U terminating in upper portions having oppositely outwardly turned tabs and lower portions terminating in sharply pointed ends.

Other objects and advantages will become readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a shelf structure, partly broken away and partly in section, embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view illustrating in detail my new and improved shelf supporting clip associated with an upright channel member and a shelf member;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a right side elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating the shelf supporting clip.

While an illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the drawings and will be described in detail herein, the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms and it should be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, the invention is illustrated in connection with a shelf structure which includes rectangularly spaced upright corner posts as at 11, 12 and 13. The corner posts are adapted to be maintained in fixed relationship to each other as by means of a top cover member or shelf member 15 suitably secured adjacent the corners thereof to the four post members and by means of a lower shelf member as at 16 also suitably secured at the corners there of to the lower ends of the post members. A shelf structure of the type described may, if desired, include a back closure panel (not illustrated), one or more front closure panels (not illustrated), and end closure panels as illustrated at 17, but these form no part of the present invention and need not be described in detail herein.

The shelf structure, or case structure, as it may be described if closure panels are provided as mentioned above, also preferably includes one or more intermediate shelf members such as that illustrated at 20, only one being shown here in order to simplify the disclosure. According to the present invention, the shelf member 20 is generally rectangular and is adapted to be supported adjacent the four corners thereof on shelf supporting clips generally designated 21, one mounted in association with each of the upright posts.

In order to facilitate the mounting of the clips to each of the posts, each post includes a vertically elongate clip mounting channel here illustrated in the form of an extruded aluminum member formed with spaced oppositely facing, back to back channel portions 22 joined by a web 23 facilitating attachment to the post as by machine screws 25. Referring particularly to FIG. 3 it will be understood that the channel member 22 is approximately C-shaped in cross section with approximately rectangular corners and includes a laterally inwardly facing vertically elongate opening 26.

Each of the shelf supporting clips 21 in its preferred embodiment comprises a body of spring steel bent gen erally into U-shape in plan view with parallel legs 28 connected at one end by a crosspiece 29. The crosspiece 29 and adjacent portions of the legs 28 are formed with an upper shelf supporting surface as at 30. Remaining portions of legs 2% are recessed downwardly as at 31 and extend toward free ends which are resiliently compressible toward each other. At the free ends, the legs include upper portions terminating in oppositely laterally outwardly turned tabs 33. Lower portions of the legs terminate in sharply pointed inclined portions 34.

In use, a clip as at 21 is adapted to be easily held by hand in a manner such that the leg members 28 may be compressed toward each other to an extent facilitating insertion of the free ends of the legs, including portions 33 and 34, into the channel member 212 through the opening 26 the-rein. Once the end portions are inside the channel member, release of the legs allows the latter to spring outwardly against the channel member, releasably retaining the clip in the position in which it was placed. The clip may be readily adjusted vertically in the channel member by compressing the legs 23 toward each other and sliding the clip vertically. When a load is placed on the shelf supporting surface 30, as by mounting a shelf 21?, and particularly when a load is placed on the shelf member, the clip tends to pivot in the channel, with the tabs 33 bearing against the inside of the channel portion at opposite sides of the opening 26, and the pointed ends 34 digging into the extruded aluminum in order to prevent displacement of the clip in the channel. The recessed upper surfaces of the leg members 28 as at 31, leaving a raised shelf supporting surface 30, assure that the load is imposed on the clip at the end thereof remote from the free leg ends, thereby to apply a positive force binding the clip in the channel.

It will be appreciated that the supporting clip disclosed, while illustrated in connection with shelving, may be utilized for supporting other items as well.

I claim:

1. A shelf structure, comprising, upright posts respectively at four corners of a rectangular shelf area, means connecting the posts for maintaining the latter in fixed relationship to each other, each post including a laterally inwardly opening, vertically elongate channel portion of C-shaped cross section; a shelf supporting clip for each channel portion, each clip including a body of resilient material of generally U-shape in plan view, said body having an upper shelf supporting surface and parallel legs with free ends which normally together define a span having a greater width than the width of the channel opening and which are resiliently compressible toward each other to a width less than the width of the channel opening, the free ends of the legs of each clip projecting into the associated channel opening, having upper oppositely outwardly turned portions positioned at generally right angles to the length of said legs and disposed in face abutting relation with the channel portions at opposite sides of the channel opening to releasably latch the clip within the channel, and having lower portions terminating respectively in pointed lower ends adapted to dig into the channel back opposite the opening when a load is placed on the shelf supporting surface, thereby to retain the clip in place, the clip being retained in position in the channel by the resilient engagement of the clip legs with the sides of the channel opening when the shelf structure is not loaded, being vertically adjustable in the channel upon manual compression of the free ends of the legs thereof toward each other reducing the retentive effect, and being removable from the channel opening upon compression of the free ends to clear the opening; and a shelf member having four corner portions resting respectively on the shelf supporting surfaces of the clips.

2. A shelf structure, comprising, rectangularly spaced upright posts connected together in fixed relationship to each other, a rectangular shelf member adapted to be supported at four corners respectively adjacent the posts, each post including a laterally opening vertically elongate channel portion, and a shelf supporting clip for each channel portion, each clip including a body having an upper shelf supporting surface and a pair of resilient legs having free ends compressible toward each other to a width less than the width of the channel opening, the free ends of the legs of each clip projecting into the associated channel opening and having means for retaining the clip against vertical movement in the channel by resilience of the legs when the clip is not loaded, having means for releasably retaining the clip against removal from the channel, and having means engageable with the channel for binding the free ends in the channel against movement when the clip is loaded.

3, A shelf supporting clip adapted to be removably and vertically adjustably associated with a vertically elongate, laterally opening channel member of C-shaped cross section, comprising, a body of resilient material of generally U-shape in plan view, said body having an upper shelf supporting surface and parallel legs with free ends resiliently compressible toward each other, the free ends of the legs being positionable in an associated channel opening, and having upper oppositely outwardly turned portions positionable in the channel adjacent the channel portions at opposite sides of the opening in the channel, and having lower portions extending forwardly of said outwardly turned portions in substantial parallelism with said legs and terminating in sharply pointed lower ends adapted to dig into the channel back opposite the opening when a load is placed on the shelf supporting surface, thereby to retain the clip in place under load.

4. A shelf support for use with a vertically elongate laterally opening channel member, comprising, a body having an upper shelf supporting surface and a pair of spaced legs extending generally horizontally away from the shelf supporting surface, the free ends of the legs being positionable in the channel opening and including upper oppositely outwardly turned portions positioned at generally right angles to the length of said legs and adapted to bear in face abutting relation against the inside of the channel portions at opposite sides of the opening in the channel, and having lower end portions adapted to bear against the back of the channel member opposite the opening therein, so that when a load isplaced on the shelf supporting surface the support binds in the channel against movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 866,695 Taussig Sept. 24, 1907 2,727,711 Bally Dec. 20, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,197,532 France June 1959 

1. A SHELF STRUCTURE, COMPRISING, UPRIGHT POSTS RESPECTIVELY AT FOUR CORNERS OF A RECTANGULAR SHELF AREA, MEANS CONNECTING THE POSTS FOR MAINTAINING THE LATTER IN FIXED RELATIONSHIP TO EACH OTHER, EACH POST INCLUDING A LATERALLY INWARDLY OPENING, VERTICALLY ELONGATE CHANNEL PORTION OF C-SHAPED CROSS SECTION; A SHELF SUPPORTING CLIP FOR EACH CHANNEL PORTION, EACH CLIP INCLUDING A BODY OF RESILIENT MATERIAL OF GENERALLY U-SHAPE IN PLAN VIEW, SAID BODY HAVING AN UPPER SHELF SUPPORTING SURFACE AND PARALLEL LEGS WITH FREE ENDS WHICH NORMALLY TOGETHER DEFINE A SPAN HAVING A GREATER WIDTH THAN THE WIDTH OF THE CHANNEL OPENING AND WHICH ARE RESILIENTLY COMPRESSIBLE TOWARD EACH OTHER TO A WIDTH LESS THAN THE WIDTH OF THE CHANNEL OPENING, THE FREE ENDS OF THE LEGS OF EACH CLIP PROJECTING INTO THE ASSOCIATED CHANNEL OPENING, HAVING UPPER OPPOSITELY OUTWARDLY TURNED PORTIONS POSITIONED AT GENERALLY RIGHT ANGLES TO THE LENGTH OF SAID LEGS AND DISPOSED IN FACE ABUTTING RELATION WITH THE CHANNEL PORTIONS AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CHANNEL OPENING TO RELEASABLY LATCH THE CLIP WITHIN THE CHANNEL, AND HAVING LOWER PORTIONS TERMINATING RESPECTIVELY IN POINTED LOWER ENDS ADAPTED TO DIG INTO THE CHANNEL BACK OPPOSITE THE OPENING WHEN A LOAD IS PLACED ON THE SHELF SUPPORTING SURFACE, THEREBY TO RETAIN THE CLIP IN PLACE, THE CLIP BEING RETAINED IN POSITION IN THE CHANNEL BY THE RESILIENT ENGAGEMENT OF THE CLIP LEGS WITH THE SIDES OF THE CHANNEL OPENING WHEN THE SHELF STRUCTURE IS NOT LOADED, BEING VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLE IN THE CHANNEL UPON MANUAL COMPRESSION OF THE FREE ENDS OF THE LEGS THEREOF TOWARD EACH OTHER REDUCING THE RETENTIVE EFFECT, AND BEING REMOVABLE FROM THE CHANNEL OPENING UPON COMPRESSION OF THE FREE ENDS TO CLEAR THE OPENING; AND A SHELF MEMBER HAVING FOUR CORNER PORTIONS RESTING RESPECTIVELY ON THE SHELF SUPPORTING SURFACES OF THE CLIPS. 